See the Universe's Rarest Type of Black Hole Slurp up a Star in Stunning Animation

See the universe's rarest type of black hole slurp up a star in stunning animation

Astronomers believe they have spotted an elusive intermediate-mass black hole capturing and shredding a star, and they have re-created the stellar murder in a stunning new animation.

Star's Violent Death Could Reveal a Rare 'Missing Link' Black Hole

In a galaxy some 450 million light-years away, a brilliant flare of light revealed a probable black hole that suddenly woke from its slumber to snack on a passing star. This is not, in itself, a hugely unusual occurrence. The sting in this particular tail is the identity of the black hole in question: an elusive middleweight, or intermediate-mass black hole. This is a mass range so rarely spotted that its absence has posed a huge challenge to ou…

Astronomers Say They’ve Detected A New Class Of Black Holes

Shutterstock It’s amazing how much astronomers and astrophysicists are learning about the cosmos each and every day – with the newest and best powerful technology, it’s an exciting time to be in the field. Now, researchers say they’ve detected a new class of black holes that are defined by the fact that they are too large to be born from normal stars, but too small to anchor galaxies. Astrophysicist Krystal Ruiz-Rocha says these new black holes …